kylejt

I actually "caught" one of my 14 year old umpires doing that last night. When I pointed out how silly it was, he had a laugh. He said a high school umpire was doing it in one of his games, so he copied him. But now he knows better. One umpire at a time........................

So who sells the Fechheimer's?

Here's the deal: Hundreds apply to do Regionals and World Series games every year. They're wiling to do them for free, and pay their own way there. So WP can be selective, and can afford to put the volunteer filter out there. Plus, there some umpires that will rat you out if you take a few dollars during the season. Umpires have actually be walked off the facility for not disclosing this, but it was discovered (read: ratted out). during a tournament. Just silly. Williamsport likes to toot their own horn about this during their TV show. (Especially after an umpire gaffe. "Remember folks, they're all volunteers out there")

I believe the paid preclusion goes for the current Little League season. And this has varied by Region, as some have the devil of time finding umpires that work Senior games for free. The real trouble comes when other, non selected umpires feel the need to rat out other who may have taken a couple of bucks at one time. Such petty nonsense. But they want volunteers for their TV show, and that's fine. Everyone should know the rules they lay out, and either agree or don't. And they have hundreds who want to do this, so they have the luxury of doing what they want.

I've lost my one and only, best plate brush ever created. I had it in my plate coat a couple weeks ago, and now, gone. Nothing else is close. Thin, light, and a scrapper for muddy plates. Those new +POS ones are brittle junk, and I busted two over the weekend. The old ones were close, but I gave away my last one years ago. Help!

You have to have the piece of mind in your gear. That trust factor. And fit and feel are all part of it. But I parted with my TW Riddell because I really like the Cobalt.

That's a must have for the well dressed arbiter, along with the matching holster. But of course you must balance it with the mask hook on the opposite side. Now, about those Honig's leather ball bags..............................

I like the Team Wendy because they use actual science behind what goes inside their padding. I've cut open others, and was surprised on the junk that was placed in there.

40 years in different flavors of the DoD, so I've heard it all.

I've never understood the use of Kevlar in umpire gear. It's used for penetration protection, or layered with composites to provide strength. But just putting a layer of Kevlar fabric in our gear seems like a marketing ploy of some sort. Unless you're actually worried about gunfire from the dugouts. And what point in the evolution of this rig are the plastic plates going to be put on the outside, like all the others? It seems to be the best solution to flying baseballs as the first layer of energy dispersion.

Cool. Thank's for the other helmet link. And I do like the cutout at the ears, as some of those tin cans are really hard to hear anything out of.

The only helmet I'd consider would be the F3/Douglas, as the cage actually protects the forehead. Others don't bother.

Just a little rubber bumper, placed so it contacts the lower frame when it swings forward. Found them at the local hardware store.

I use those for my umpire and LE shirts. They feel a little weird at first, but work great.

I use that Mizuno on all my masks. But I use thicker, doubled up velcro straps. Two winds, instead of just one. I put a rubber bumper on mine, to keep them from "clacking" against the frame. Not sure why anyone would want a metal one, but what do I know?

Only wear them over your plate shoes if you work for the Department of Redundancy Department. If over non plate plate shoe, Mr. Big Toe will have issues. Not sure why these exists. Now my first "plate shoes" were Sears steel toed models with throat protectors laced on. So maybe......

Let me backtrack on one my comments. As LL umpires, we have no authority one the fans. None. Other rules set might, but not in LL. Nor can they put fan behavior on the managers, by rule. So we can't eject fans. What the can to do is stop the game, and have the board member on duty stop the nonsense outside the fence line before the game continues. Music is fine, directly pointing at an opposing pitcher is childish, and stupid. If I were the PU, I'd direct, in a LOUD voice, the league official that it needs to stop before we continue. Yeah, no need to 9.01(c) here. We've got all the tools needed to handle it.

No, there's no specific rule against that. I'm guessing you'd need to talk to your division rep, or league prez, as it's not against rules, it's childish. I'm guessing this is a younger age group, like 8 or 9 year olds. Sorry, but they're the worst, as far a bad behaving adults go. Of course the best "cure" for nonsense like that is to quietly put more runs on the board than they do. Now an umpire can deem it unsportsmanlike, and then warn and eject the adult for this. But that's a judgement call on their part.

I know some of you collect MLB umpires stuff, or just need a jacket. https://www.shopgoodwill.com/Item/118670415

I think the current Grail is the Riddell, with a Team Wendy makeover. That was a cool rig.

Was this the MLU?

I've got one that I have for our Jr. umpires. It's truly tiny, and a joke trying to cover my last rib. If they are really the same size, how do so many umpires use them?

@kylejtModification™ is a registered tradmark, so.........................

Oh, and I get that you mostly see this with LL umpires, as we're largest single group of umpires on the planet. It's just a numbers thing. It's probably like me seeing five day beards and scraggly goatees on the local travel tournament umpires. Not much I can, or want, to do about that, though.

"If he hits it it's a double".